Tents are portable shelters made of lightweight, often waterproof fabrics. Tents come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most popular shape is the dome, or freestanding model. This model is easy to set up and does not require support from tree limbs or other objects.
The upper portion of most tents is often formed of a weather-resistant material, such as canvas or nylon. The bottom of the tent is often formed from nylon or polyethylene with a permanent waterproof coating (often made of urethane). Each of these materials works well to repel water, but the flooring material is typically more waterproof. In one present day design, the floor material wraps up the lower walls of the tent, forming a “tub” of the flooring material. By wrapping the material partly up the side of the tent, the lower parts of the tent, which are more prone to be in prolonged contact with water, are provided an enhanced water barrier.
Although present tent materials work well for their intended purpose, one problem associated with some present tent designs is the seams for the tents can leak, thus requiring seal-coating or coverage by rain tarps. This problem is particularly true for floor seams, which tend to have prolonged contact with water. A tent floor having a tub design avoids this problem to some extent, because the seams adjoining the side walls with the floor are removed from the ground. However, the corners of the floor tub are joined at seams, and these seams can also leak. A leaky seam can cause water to enter a tent, making a stay in a tent miserable.